Thursday, September 10, 2009

Fall Overseed of Bermuda Grass with Rye

It's that time of year again. Time to think about preparing your yard for fall over seeding with Rye grass. Bermuda Grass will stay green usually into November but as soon as the frost hits, Bermuda will go dormant until Spring. Many Arizonan's over seed their lawn with Winter Rye grass. Rye grass looks and feels very different from Bermuda Grass and will give your yard year round enjoyment, in addition to keeping the weeds at bay in your lawn. We usually over seed in early October.1. If you plan to over seed this fall, the first thing to do is not fertilize your Bermuda Grass 4-6 weeks before over seeding. You do not want it to be actively growing when it is scalped. 2. Plan to over seed in late September through early November when night time temperatures are below 60 degrees. 3. Cut your watering schedule down by half a few weeks before overseeding.4. Stop mowing your lawn one week before mowing.5. The day of overseeding you will scalp your lawn to about 1/2" high and remove all clippings.6. Spread the Rye seed according to package directions.7. Cover seed with mulch, composted manure, or grass clipping to aid in moisture and keep the birds away.8. Water 3-4 time daily for 5-10 min. until the seeds germinate in 5-7 days.

After the third or fourth week, you can gradually reduce your watering to every 3 to 7 days in Nov. and Dec. and every 14 days for the rest of the season, depending on rainfal, etc.

You may mow y our ryegrass after is has grown 2" tall but only mow to 1.5". Do not fertilize until after the first mowing.

2 comments:

Thanks for the tips on overseeding in Arizona. I just bought some supplies from a local sod farm, Evergreen Turf. I need all the tips I can get because this is my first season in Arizona. Hopefully I don't kill my lawn, but with your tips and the tips I read on Evergreen's site I should be all set.